Gallery: The first 10 steps to getting started as a runner

Photos.com, canada.com08.14.2013

With running groups beginning in earnest for fall’s crop of races, there’s no better time to lace up and head out the door. That said, we don’t want to lead you into the street naked, so we’ve gathered our favourite experts and asked: What do we need to know to enjoy running, and start right now?

Photos.com
/ canada.com

10. Get off the treadmill and head outdoors.

Even if you’re only walking around your neighbourhood — and a great way to start running is by walking first – it’s important to move from the gym to the great outdoors. For one, that’s where the races are held, and by signing up for your first 5K, perhaps 10 weeks from now, you’ll have incentive to keep up your hard work. Also, it’s summertime! On my run this morning I saw a deer.

Spencer Platt
/ Getty Images

9. Find the right shoes.

“In the past, there was conflict between runners who wanted shoes that were comfortable and soft, but felt like a dead fish – no more,” says Gerd Manz, senior innovation director for Adidas. This summer, Adidas rolled out Manz’s design for the Boost, which is shot through with polyurethane pellets and took four years to bring to market. “Runners that are at the beginning of their career, they’d like to have shoes that support them, that make running easier, make it fun, and not a clunky, heavy product,” continues Manz. “A new runner should try on a sneaker and, before they buy it, it should feel light and comfortable right away.”

Photos.com
/ canada.com

8. Take it slow.

I have a friend wondering whether to shoot for the half-marathon or marathon as he begins to run. He’s a guitarist and got frustrated as he ran for the first time. I asked him, “Did you write your album before first learning a few chords?” Running seems easy, and it is, but you need to build stamina and endurance. My friend’s now training for his first 5K.

“Keep in mind that running doesn’t feel great at the beginning and it takes time to achieve fitness. Patience is required,” says Reid Coolsaet, pictured, who ran the marathon for Canada at the 2012 London Olympics and is eying Jerome Drayton’s 38-year-old marathon record at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon this fall. “Injuries are the worst, so make sure you have some strength training incorporated to compliment all your running. Other than that, have fun and listen to your body.”

Glenn Lowson
/ National Post

6. Be safe, don’t chafe.

Skin rubs against skin when you run and, when you run for a while, this happens over and over again. If you don’t use Vaseline, Body Glide or some sort of salve, you will bleed. Before you run, put a little wax around your bra line, nipples and underarms. It’s a much more pleasant way to run.

Handout
/ BodyGlide

5. Don’t run alone.

Running’s a solitary sport, but it improves, as will your finishing times, with the support of a community. The Running Room hosts clinics at most of their 125 locations, where like-abled new athletes meet three times-a-week and prepare for either 5K, 10K, the half-marathon or the marathon. It’s easier getting out of the house if you feel beholden to a larger group, or even a single person. Besides, after you’e finished running, you can’t give yourself a high-five.

Shaughn Butts
/ Edmonton Journal

4. Experiment with wacky trends.

The new craze in racing is putting the emphasis on fun over competition, as The Color Run and Color Me Rad, short distant races where participants are doused in paint, grow in popularity. No one ever said the endeavor had to be miserable; thanks to this new style of racing, running can become more like a dance party than a race.

John Lucas
/ Edmonton Journal

3. Make a plan.

If you want to start running, set a goal, so you don’t feel like aimless. (If you do, what harm is it if you skip a workout?) Instead, find yourself a realistic finish line you can work towards. This will add a little competitive fire to your runs. “Get a training program with an end goal, and be persistent,” says Alan Brookes, race director of Canadian Running Series. “Work determinedly, but patiently, towards slowly and consistently reaching your long-term goal.” It’s more fun when you run for a reason.

File photo
/ Canwest News Service

2. One more thought about shoes.

“There’s right weight and lightweight, you want the right balance between the two,” says Scott Meyers, Nike’s product specialist, from the company’s Oregon headquarters. In recent years, minimalist sneakers – shoes with scant heel and little padding — have come to dominate the market, none more than the Nike “Free” series. However, tread carefully: Even Meyers says it’s important to have a gait-analysis observed before selecting your footwear (and minimalist sneakers offer little support). “It’s very subjective, and new runners should try different shoes,” says Meyers. “There’s no ‘best sneaker,’ only what’s best for you.”

freddy0013
/ Fotolia.com

1. The path can lead toward positive mental health.

In psychology, the term “mastery,” is a feeling a person experiences as they notice incremental improvement. Not surprisingly, mastery, even at something as repetitive as running, feels good. “Mastery, especially as compared to that back and forth indecisiveness, can give you energy,” says Dr. Kate Hays, founder of Toronto’s The Performing Edge. “People who don’t run don’t necessarily believe running can give you energy, but it does — and mental energy, for sure.”

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